Living Well: 8 Secrets to Perfectly Polished Shoes

A good pair of shoes that is properly cared for will last a lifetime. That may seem like an exaggeration, but it’s not, I promise! Not only that, a pair of good, polished shoes is a key to feeling well-dressed when you walk out the door. It is one of those details that is easily overlooked, but makes all the difference.

Brushing away dirt and dust will help keep the leather looking good, and polishing them with good quality creams and waxes will help condition them and prolong their life by protecting against water damage, etc.

My husband is somewhat of an expert at polishing shoes — he spent years studying shoe shiners in Grand Central Station, as well as reading up about proper methods. I’ve taken my cues from him to keep my shoes looking great.

Secret #1: Polishes fall into two main categories: cream and wax. They can be used interchangeably or together (cream first, followed by wax). To help you decide, know that cream polish cleans, conditions, and buffs to a moderate shine, whereas wax polish protects more and can be buffed to a high gloss if desired.

Let’s get started. First, brush any visible dirt and dust off of the surface of the shoes.

Secret #2: It is a good idea to have cloths and brushes dedicated to black and brown polishes, and not to interchange them.

Next, select a matching color of shoe polishing cream. Using a thick cloth, rub a small amount of the cream onto the shoe, paying close attention to areas where the color has been worn away.

Secret #3: Match the shade exactly. If in doubt, go with a shade lighter, NOT darker.

If the shoes have leather soles, use a little of the polish around the edge to darken them up.

Secret #4: For areas of the shoe where the color has completely worn off, dying may be necessary if shoe polish doesn’t work.

Using a large, soft brush, vigorously brush the surface of the shoe, back and forth until shiny.

For further protection against water, etc., another coat of polish can be used. This time apply a wax polish using a small brush.

Secret #5: Polishing shoes can be messy, and when you use wax polish, it may flake off a bit. Protect surfaces with sheets of newspaper so the mess doesn’t get on your clothes or the floor.

After the wax polish, once again use a brush to buff the surface of the shoe.

An optional step for shoes with leather soles is to protect them by rubbing mink oil or shoe grease (just a little bit) onto the surface.

Secret #6: Some leathers are only meant to be conditioned with mink oil or shoe grease NOT polished. (Like Doc Marten type shoes.)

Finally, for shoes with a shinier surface, the last step is to buff the shoes with a cloth. (Think: spit shine.)

Secret #7: Only polish shoes if it’s needed. Don’t use too much polish — only a thin layer. Old polish can build up over the years and crack.

Secret #8: It’s not really a polishing secret, but it is about proper shoe care — use shoe trees to store leather dress shoes. Shoes trees will help them keep their shape.

That’s it! All my secrets to perfectly polished shoes. Now walk forth with confidence! And tell me, have you ever had your shoes polished in a big city? It’s one of my favorite things to do when I’m in New York.

P.S. — You can find all the Secrets to Living Well posts here. Also. Suede shoes require a different kind of polish. Ask at any shoe repair store or reputable department store for more instructions.

My first job out of college was as a summer intern in DC; our boss (a total clotheshorse) would sometimes do surprise checks of our shoes at our morning meetings — and even drag “offenders” out for a polish at lunch. It was all in good fun, but he was adamant that a pair of well-polished shoes made all the difference in looking professional and put-together. He seemed physically pained by men (or women!) in expensive suits and scuffed shoes… I took his advice to heart, and to this day I still check to make sure my shoes are cleaned and polished before any important meeting or interview. Thanks for the tips!

My regular shiner reminds me to always polish a new shoes. You never know how long they’ve been sitting while being shipped or warehoused. The leather could look new, but the shoes are often times dry and susceptible to cracking. Polishing early allows for a more natural, hydrated break-in period.

I find giving my shoes a good shine to be almost therapeutic. This is a great list. I’d add that, in hoping to make a pair of nice shoes last “forever” you might need to find a cobbler, because even if the shoe leather looks good as new the soles will eventually give out.

Also, my absolute favorite college graduation gift to give is a shoe shine kit – the brushes, waxes, etc, all in a nice wooden box for the grad-to-be.

Great post. I was beginning to think my dad was one of the last men on Earth that shines his own shoes. It’s true, when cared for properly some shoes will last forever. My dad has some Allen Edmunds that are almost 30 years old.

A good shoe shine is so important! I learned how to do it when I was 14, when my mother (of the “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” school of New England/Mormon thrift) bought me all-leather shoes that were meant to last. I loved polishing my shoes! They lasted through my freshman year of college from good care, which is also therapeutic and deeply satisfying. When I worked in the costume shop of our university theatre, my boss was seriously impressed by the level of shine I could create in a shoe, and shoe maintenance became my exclusive job (if it meant I didn’t have to rip out tiny stitches, I was all for it!). But really: a well-shined pair of shoes can make all the difference. Just remember: if you get your shoes wet, stuff them with newspaper and let them air dry AWAY from any heat sources! They can crack and warp the leather. Happy Shining!

Ha. This takes me back to shining my shoes before church on a Sunday morning when I was small – our shoeshine box was inherited from my grandparents and full of old brushes and the like..including a small velvet ‘pillow’ for buffing up.
Which all makes me sound ancient (when in fact im only 29!)
Lovely, evocative post.

I have been looking for this FOREVER! I asked for a shoe shine kit this year for Hanukkah and my husband couldn’t find one anywhere. My dad shined his own shoes every Sunday morning before church, and I loved to watch the entire procedure.

I love this post. It reminds me of watching my father’s near-weekly routine of polishing and shining his shoes for work, then his teaching me how to do it, and finally when I had been deemed capable of unsupervised polishing by my incredibly meticulous father! I loved watching the transformation of these old, worn shoes into shiny new kicks. Instant gratification at its best!
I don’t know if it was the way he was raised, watching his father do the same, or if it was a hold over from his military service, but my dad’s shoes were always perfectly polished. And the pictures you posted here were like a flashback, from the newspaper to the tins of cream and the bristly brushes. I can almost smell it…

I have to admit, I’ve never polished my shoes before – and I think I may start! As a nurse, I try to buy decent quality leather shoes, but it hadn’t occurred to me that upkeep can help keep my “investment” in good shape for much longer. Silly, but there you have it! Not something that was emphasized when I was growing up, obviously. ;) Thanks so much for sharing this. :)

I would avoid using polish on the edging as described. I would strong suggest using a product referred to as “edge dressing, ink, dye or kote”. (avoiding name brands – and while their is overlap of use there remains a couple key differences between the products

OMG, when I was young, in my school years really, I remember being the one to wax, polish, etc everybody’s shoes every saturday. I followed the same steps with the same materials. I liked it. I think I haven’t done it since then. I just dust them once in a blue moon, but my more than 200 pairs look good enough. After reading this article I felt like doing it again, it’s like the new wave of shaving with brush, blade and soap.

ah the art of shoe polishing. Both of my dads did this as a ritual when I was growing up. It seemed like such a pleasant task. As a result I now do it as an adult at least once a month and I’m a woman who loves high quality shoes. In fact, I think I’m the only woman I know who does her own shoes. Decided the key to great results is to slow down and just enjoy it. It’s therapeutic.

Welcome

My name is Gabrielle Blair. I'm a designer and mother of six. After 2 1/2 years in France, we just bought a home in Oakland, California. We call it The Treehouse. I post on where design and motherhood intersect.

Sponsors

Affiliate Links

The Design Mom site is an Amazon Affiliate, and a RewardStyle Affiliate. If you see links that include "rstyle" or "amazon", those are affiliate links.

Want to bypass the affiliate links? No problem. Simply type in the main url (like amazon.com or target.com) directly, instead of clicking through from Design Mom.

Would you link to know more about how this site is monetized? You got it. That topic is covered in the FAQs.

The Design Mom Book is available for pre-order! It's filled with tips and strategies for making your home beautiful, comfortable, functional and kid-friendly — a place where both you and your kids will thrive.